YORKSHIRE TUMULI 
301 
180 feet across. The smaller houes are twelve to eighteen or twenty 
feet by one and a half to two feet in height. The latter appear to be 
entirely barren of any remains betokening interment, and are com- 
posed of rough stones piled together, often by the side of or above a 
large slab that has been a fixture in the soil, probably dropped in 
the place where it is now found by some glacial action. In the 
larger mounds evidences of burial are found, usually consisting of a 
stone cist, in which were placed urns. In addition to the primary 
burial, the mounds appear to have been used for others of a later 
date, and in one in which the original deposit had been made in the 
centre of the mound, nine secondary interments were discovered along 
its side. One of the latter contained a large urn twenty-four inches 
high by seventeen and a half inches across the mouth, the contained 
bones being a mere handful. In a comparatively small cairn, with a 
slight covering of earth, at a point some six or seven feet south of 
the centre, were found many fragments of urns, accompanied by 
portions of calcined bones. These had not been broken by recent 
disturbance, and on continuing the excavation it was clear that 
repeated burials had been made in this cairn, and every inch seemed 
to afford some evidence of its repeated disturbance. At the base a 
small stone covered an urn which appeared to indicate the primary 
burial, but around it were the ashes of more recent burials. The urn 
contained besides calcined bones a small barrow-shaped vase, placed 
bottom upwards, with one of its sides closing the mouth of an incense 
cup laid sideways. Mr. Atkinson considered that the urn last- 
mentioned must have been that of a conquering intruder who had 
been buried in the tumulus erected to some previous chieftain, which 
would probably account for the fragmentary character of the broken 
urns. In another houe two urns were found, in one of which was a 
beautifully wrought war-hammer of fine-grained polished granite, and 
a rudely-formed incense cup inverted and empty, portions of four 
bone pins, and some other bone ornaments. No traces of metal 
implements or ornaments of any kind were found, but stone or flint 
implements usually accompanied the interment, and the burnt con- 
dition of the bones appeared to indicate that in each instance the 
body had been cremated before burial. In some instances the 
